Work, space and transportation

October 2014 — Every modern city grapples with the challenge of facilitating residents' journeys to their workplaces, whether formal or informal, fixed or mobile. Public transportation's positive impact on congestion and the environment is clear, yet commuters often experience it as inefficient, overcrowded, and costly. Likewise, transportation in cities — for some, a way to get to work; for others, a means of income — often leads technological innovation, but can also lag woefully behind.

This month's discussion examines cities' struggles and successes in navigating the challenges of work, space, and transportation. Case studies from across the Global South will show how transportation systems must adapt constantly to new demographic and environmental needs as they try to solve problems of cities and the people who inhabit them. Follow the conversation as it unfolds throughout October — and please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Transport and the post-colonial city: Cape Town's new Integrated Transport Plan for 2032

Cape Town, 23 October 2014 — Cape Town is the latest of close to 200 cities worldwide to adopt the BRT urban transport model, to allow the mobility needed for a diverse economy to thrive. But unlike BRT pioneers in South America, South Africa's fast-growing cities have amongst the lowest average population densities in the world and, in Cape Town especially, there is also deep-rooted social and spatial injustice written in the city structure. Is there a wider role for "an efficient, world-class public transportation system" in the post-colonial, post-apartheid city? See more.

Transport and the post-colonial city: Cape Town's new Integrated Transport Plan for 2032

Tariq Toffa, Cape Town Community Manager

Originally founded on a peninsula to serve European imperial sea trade, today the CBD of Cape Town is wholly peripheral. Deeply racialized during apartheid, the city is also radial; with the CBD ringed closest by white social groups and affluence, and further away by black, increasingly poorer and less developed areas. The latter typically commute long distances by public transport to the CBD and other employment centres; while the former, with high levels of car ownership and only 10 percent use of public transport, contribute to making Cape Town the most congested city in the country.

These socio-spatial structures began to be challenged for the first time in the post-apartheid/1994 dispensation. However, transport (train, mini-bus taxi, and bus) still remained fragmented/segregated. In 2012 the City established a single authority to integrate and manage this network called Transport for Cape Town, and in 2014 launched its R32 billion ($3.2bn) Integrated Public Transport Network plan to achieve this by 2032. This includes a BRT system across the whole city, called MyCiTi, to be implemented in five phases (Phase 1 is current) (fig. 1).

The transport plan — like other City plans — rightfully understands transport to be about much more than efficient mobility. Specifically, it promotes the idea of "socially sustainable" transport, which "speak to the needs of the disadvantaged and the marginalized," and even seeks to "promote understanding and acceptance" by facilitating "interaction and social encounters."

Apart from a lack of historical context, there is little that can be faulted with the principles of the transport plan. What may be in question, however, is the appropriateness of the solutions proposed. Criticism, for example, has been directed at the focus on relieving traffic congestion for the CBD and adjoining areas first, before addressing the needs of poorer areas. Others have argued that the city's spread-out, low average densities were not suited to BRT corridor development, which typically require more passengers along shorter routes, and that incremental upgrading of existing rail and bus infrastructure was more appropriate.

Moreover, to avoid a dispersal (like the city's web-like taxi network - fig. 2) of investment, impact, and opportunity — albeit via selected BRT corridors — it is crucial that bus and rail be fully integrated, to allow development zones to be strategic, and not scattered along lengthy BRT corridors (a total of 57.79 km). However, critical rail proposals (fig. 3) are still in the discussion phases, while BRT plans are already well underway.

More generally, a contiguous and high quality (rapid) rail supported by road-based infrastructure probably has the best chance to manage public transportation in large, polycentric urban areas. In the South African context, this should also be geared toward catalyzing new centralities and urban systems over the long term, which redress colonial and apartheid structures to create more just and integrated cities. If the primacy of established nodes remains entrenched, apartheid-shaped transport patterns will also remain unchanged, and there will also be little opportunity for new social interactions across the city.

Described by the City as "practical," "realistic," and "sensible," ultimately Cape Town's transport plan is a conservative answer to deep social, economic, racial, spatial, and historical divisions; essentially, to bring greater efficiency to current commuter flows (fig. 4). However, as implied in the plan's foundational principles, transport must take on a wider, proactive role: to respond to the growth and complexity of modern cities, but also a responsible role, in redressing its own complicity in the creation of unjust settlement patterns. In the most unequal society in the world, simply put, it is a case of modifications to the status quo, or transformation of it. Close.

Reducing Surabaya's traffic thanks to Rapid Mass Transit

Surabaya, 22 October 2014 — Surabaya's streets are clogged with endless vehicles, obstructing citizens' commutes to their workplaces. The limited and low-quality public transport results in hours of travel time. Will the new Rapid Mass Transit system be the answer to Surabaya's traffic problem? See more.

Reducing Surabaya's traffic thanks to Rapid Mass Transit

Widya Anggraini, Surabaya Community Manager

Like Jakarta, Surabaya experiences a complicated traffic congestion problem. The large population and inadequate transportation system have forced Surabaya's residents to spend more time commuting. The limited availability of public transportation causes private vehicles to dominate the streets of Surabaya, leading to traffic congestion that is worsened by narrow roads. Paying close attention to the complexity of the transportation problem, the Surabaya Government and mayor Tri Rismaharini are working on the development plans for the Rapid Mass Transit (RMT) using monorails and trams.

As the second largest city in Indonesia, Surabaya has developed into a city of industry, education, and tourism. Surabaya's workers come from neighboring cities such as Sidoarjo, Gresik, Pasuruan, and Mojokerto. The construction of the Suramadu bridge that connects Surabaya and Madura Island increases the number of workers, especially from Bangkalan, Madura. These districts are supporting areas for Surabaya, growing in the peripheries of the development epicenter.

These cities assume a very large role, as they are the main contributors in terms of human resources, especially to Surabaya's industrial district. Every day, commuters must travel long distances to and from their cities, a process known as "commuter human resource." They spend most of their time on the road, setting off early in the morning and returning at sundown.

These commuters need efficient transportation. The convenience of switching from one transportation mode to another should be an important measure during the planning of a city. Surabaya is currently preparing a concept for RMT that will combine the use of monorails and trams. The trams are designated for the north and south corridors, whereas the monorail will be the mode of transport for the east-west corridor. This system will be followed by the development of a system feeder and the construction of "park and ride" facilities. Development plans for the RMT will also be combined with the expansion of current land transportation systems, such as the widening of roads, expansion of terminals and of train networks.

Residents often search for shorter routes in order to arrive at their destinations quickly without facing traffic congestion. The RMT systems will include technology that allows commuters to find the shortest alternative routes to their work place using a variety of public transportation. The current trend for efficient commutes is by motorcycles and cars, whereas buses, bemos (minibuses), and commuter trains are not well integrated in terms of schedules and transit locations. In future plans, the RMT systems will integrate efficient public transport, and commuter technology for choosing the fastest way to a destination. Close.

Making bicycles a safe and efficient means of transportation

Cali, 21 October 2014 — Cali has ideal geographic conditions for year-round use of bicycles. Still, after decades of urban growth centered around the use of motorized vehicles, biking has become a slow and dangerous means of transportation. The General Plan (POT) currently being discussed by the City Council includes several measures geared toward reversing this trend. See more.

Making bicycles a safe and efficient means of transportation

Jorge Bela, Cali Community Manager

Due to its privileged geographic location, Cali is an ideal city for the use of bicycles as a means of transportation to and from work. The city sits in a valley with easy hills, and has mild weather for most of the year. City expansion during the second half of the 20th century gave absolute priority to motorized forms of transportation. Even though the 2002 general plan recognized the need to promote the use of bicycles, the lack of proper infrastructure and the prevalence of congested roads still make it an uncomfortable and even dangerous means of transportation. In the first six months of 2013, the most recent year for which official data is available, 296 cyclists were injured in traffic accidents, and there were 21 deaths (out of a total of 118 deaths in all traffic accidents during that period). In 2005, the city approved a master plan to create 50 kilometers of dedicated routes (Plan Maestro de Ciclorutas), but only about 24 of those have been completed to date. This network is clearly too small, lacks necessary links between routes, and has been left to decay to very poor conditions in many areas.

Despite all these hurdles, Cali has the highest rate of bicycle use as a means of transportation in Colombia: about 200,000 people use it for their daily commute, representing 11.7 percent of the total population. This is due to the prevalence of poverty in the city: many of those cycling to and from work cannot afford the cost of public transportation. The current administration is aware of the urgent need to improve the conditions and safety of the cyclist. In order to achieve this goal, new dedicated infrastructures will have to be built, speed limits for vehicles will have to be lowered or better controlled, and educational initiatives will have to be implemented to raise awareness among drivers of the need to be cautious about and respectful of bikers and pedestrians.

The city is currently in the process of building an additional 25 km of dedicated routes, and repairing the rest of the existing network. This project is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2015. In addition, the general plan currently being discussed by the City Council defines cycling as one of the five subsystems that make up global mobility in the city. It includes the building of a bicycle "highway" along the Green Corridor (Corredor Verde), as well as a complete basic network of dedicated routes. This system is to be integrated into the BRT Mio.

The promotion of the use of bicycles in Cali is not only being carried out by the city government. Several civil society organizations have been active in this process, and they have played a decisive role in raising awareness. Cicloamigos, for instance, was created in 1996 and was heavily involved in the design of the 2005 Master Plan. They organize the Ciclopaseos, once-a-month nighttime events in which dozens of bikers crisscross the city. Along with other organizations, such as Ciudad Verde, Rodando, and Cultura Bici, they have formed the Mesa de Trabajo por el Uso de la Bicicleta, which organizes meetings, discussions, and publications. They have also followed closely the drafting of pro-bicycle legislation.

The combined efforts of the local government and of civil society bring hope to the expectation that the use of the bicycle as a means of transportation becomes a safe and efficient proposition for all caleños. Close.

Transportation innovations in Mexico City

Mexico City, 20 October 2014 — In Mexico City, two companies use mobile devices to offer reliable, fast, and affordable taxi services. These digital platforms for transportation and mobility connect passengers and taxi drivers so that they both obtain information about the route, ensuring the security of the passenger. These services are a way to raise drivers' income. See more.

Transportation innovations in Mexico City

María Fernanda Carvallo, Mexico City Community Manager

One of the main requirements in an urban environment is transportation. According to the new Mobility of the Federal District Law, published on July 14th, 2014, "transportation is a right of every person and of the community to effective movement of individuals and goods to be accessed via different modes recognized by the law, a system of transportation that conforms to the hierarchy and principles established in this legislation in order to satisfy their needs and full development. In all cases the objective of the transportation service will be the passenger."

In Mexico City, there are different means of public transportation that the inhabitants of the Federal District can access. For a few years now, the capital has been known for the clean and effective Metrobus system. Similarly, the Metro and Tren Ligero (Light Train) system offers a different mode of transportation to various points in the city. However, because these means don't always provide the best interconnectivity, there is another mode of transportation that offers an added value for mobility in Mexico City: the taxi.

Yaxi and Uber are mobile applications that offer reliable, fast, and relatively affordable taxi services. These smartphone applications have been successful in part due to the urban security issues in Mexico City. Through these applications, citizens can reserve a private taxi service within just a few minutes. The user receives information about the driver and the car, can then follow the travel route, and pays a reasonable fare using cash, debit, or credit card. Furthermore, the user can accumulate points for each trip that can be then exchanged for free travel services. These applications are revolutionizing private transportation in Mexico City (as well as in many other countries) and have been instrumental in increasing the income of taxi drivers. These companies offer a good quality service, and effective transportation. The passenger and the driver are connected online to obtain access to the service in a more convenient, efficient, and affordable way.

The challenge for this type of transportation continues to be reaching out to low-income citizens. Undoubtedly, this challenge must invite the public lawmakers to identify how technology can help those who need it most. Close.

Putting Mumbai's skywalks to use

Mumbai, 17 October 2014 — Has a "war on the car" begun in cities such as Helsinki and Madrid? That's hardly the case in India, where pedestrians have been pushed off the streets. Elevated skywalks now dot the Mumbai skyline, and while they do allow walkers to cross heavily trafficked intersections and clogged roadways more easily, many say they are underused due to safety and accessibility issues. Embarq has proposed a six-point plan to bring them back into use — a plan that doesn't reprioritize the pedestrian on the street, but at the very least makes the city's large-scale investment more usable. See more.

Putting Mumbai's skywalks to use

Carlin Carr, Mumbai Community Manager

Cities around the world have taken bold measures to cut cars out of the center to pedestrianize streets. Madrid recently announced an ambitious plan to restrict cars by charging a hefty fee to anyone who dares enter the off-limits zone. A decade ago, London also implemented a congestion charge to enter an eight-square kilometer central zone from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Singapore's Central Business District, which is just slightly more than two square miles in area, has 33 tolls that surround it.

The "war on the car" is a shift that has yet to take hold in cities such as Mumbai, where car-centric development dominates discourse, even while millions get around by walking. A majority of the poor still commute on foot — a challenging feat in a city badly in need of sidewalks, crossing signals and, yes, even pedestrian zones.

Rather than moving over cars in favor of walkers, the city decided to send them away — or at least up. It first proposed an elevated pedestrian walkway — a skywalk — in the '60s. It was to extend from one of the city's main stations, Churchgate, to Flora Fountain — a stretch that connects rail commuters to the financial district. It's also a stretch full of architectural heritage and parks, all of which walkers would now miss out on.

Although the skywalk didn't fly back then, the idea was later revived in a $123 million dollar joint project between the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Maharshtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in which 50 skywalks were planned, according to Embarq's blog, the City Fix. "The goal was not only to build the world's largest skywalk network, but also to shape Mumbai as an innovative leader in urban planning among developing cities. Due in part to poor planning and a contractor-driven agenda, the skywalks are now largely a blight on the city."

Today, there are 37 skywalks around the city. One of the ongoing concerns is that they are unsafe, particularly for women, and they lack accessibility for the elderly and handicapped. Since dismantling the infrastructure would require significant noise, intrusion, and money, Embarq has proposed a plan to improve the usability of existing skywalks across the city and inaugurate better planning for those that will be built in the future:

Increase usability with proper signboards to help first-time commuters.

Increase accessibility for all populations by providing escalators and wheelchairs at all skywalks.

Strategically place skywalks around metros and airports to connect and integrate different modes of transport.

Partner with local vendors to occupy areas around the footpaths and drum up foot traffic — increasing safety and helping local businesses.

Provide both male and female security guards to increase security for female commuters.

Skywalks certainly aren't the answer to Mumbai's pedestrian woes. However, they have already taken over heavily trafficked areas outside stations, for example, so making them more useful to people is key. Greater foresight is needed as Mumbai moves forward with transport planning to make it safer and easier for pedestrians; after all, if the world is calling for more sustainable and livable cities, that mission can hardly be accomplished without radically shifting away from letting cars dominate urban environments. Close.

Governance and the informal-formal transport divide

Dar es Salaam, 16 October 2014 — This article focuses on the governance of transport systems, and the individuals driving the restless city. Dar es Salaam showcases a class division in the transport systems available and further barriers between formal and informal systems. However, as informal transport workers collectivise, a new perspective is rising. See more.

Governance and the informal-formal transport divide

Gemma Todd, Dar es Salaam Community Manager

A famous saying proclaims that "The City Never Sleeps." With urban development, the question is — who drives the city? Transportation solutions continue to be applied in Dar es Salaam, aimed at ensuring that people get to work on time, safely, and at a fair price. When we think of work and transport, there is a need to recognise the large majority surviving on informal wages and minimal rights, but who help keep the city running. Class distinctions and inequalities are prevalent, even though Dar es Salaam aims to be an efficient city. Focus turns to solutions ensuring the rights of workers supporting transportation systems — working on roads, as informal sellers, and in informal transport.

Work relies on transportation systems; and transportation depends on, and is, work. Within Dar es Salaam, traffic jams have become a business opportunity, tapped into by individuals who recognise consumption needs. Their spaces of work include dangerously manoeuvering through oncoming traffic; negotiating product prices on the street as they sell food, car equipment, drinks, and more; and servicing driver needs. However, the road street sellers are often employed by elites to sell their goods; therefore there remains little certainty of returns. Similarly, when looking at dala-dalas (buses), the main form of public transport, the system is privatised and unequal. Driving the actual public transport there are only a few who own the dala-dalas, while a large majority work as conductors and bus workers earning minimal wages, paying high taxes, working long-hours and at high risk. New buses continue to be shipped into Dar es Salaam with rising demand; and despite increasing competition from UDA (larger buses forming the Dar es Salaam Transport Company, a private-public transport company owned by shareholders), dala-dalas continue to monopolise the transport market. There is a need to identify the rights of those running transport systems on which the city depends on. Formal recognition, employment rights, and the ability for the poor to invest in their own businesses are required.

Surface and Maring Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) is responsible for regulation within transport — concerned with setting prices, ensuring quality, and ensuring that demands are met. The Consumer's Consultative Council (CCC) focuses on issues of supply experienced by customers, such as high prices. However, although both SUMATRA and CCC aim to ensure efficient transportation for urban consumers, challenges remain with respect to dala-dala operators. There is no public sector subsidy for transport; therefore dala-dala operators' profit margins remain low. Subsequently, low profit margins influence service quality — vehicle maintenance is minimal. Dala-dala operators have begun to organise and collectivise, such as in the Mzizima Dar es Salaam Express Company. This organisation provides a voice for informal transport workers to demand a share of profits, and access to routes which are being granted exclusively to the new Dar es Salaam Rapid Bus Transport System (DART).

The creation of Mzizima, whereby dala-dala drivers, workers, and owners have collectivised to create their own union company, showcases the power that unity holds. The establishment of Mzizima means that dala-dala workers have strengthened their bargaining power. As a company, they are being recognised as transport stakeholders and are being included in discussions for the new DART system. The Mzizima union is formally recognised and registered, and is able to compete for transport tenders by buying up to 30 percent of UDA shares: as transport remains privatised in Dar es Salaam, routes are often organised through 'tenders'; the dala-dala owner will ask for business tender over certain routes. UDA are granted the best routes in terms of roads and profits. Therefore Mzizima's ability to claim tenders ensures their inclusion in determining where dala-dalas go, the profits they make, and the level of vehicle maintenance.

The associations and unions arising in Dar es Salaam are enabling bargaining power in the changing transport systems as well as a chance for the informal service workers to capitalise from the transport market. Close.

Cairo, 15 October 2014 — No one can deny the traffic problem in Cairo, where congestion is so dense that residents spend an average of one and a half hours commuting to work. But the UNDP-funded Sustainable Development Project has developed public-private partnerships to create pollution-free integrated transport services that may create a breakthrough for Egyptians. See more.

Shaima Abulhajj, Cairo Community Manager

According to the World Bank, traffic congestion in Cairo costs the country over EGP 50 billion, or US$8 billion, annually — nearly 4 percent of Egypt's yearly GDP. More than 1,000 people in Cairo die each year in traffic-related accidents, of whom more than half are pedestrians, and more than 4,000 are injured. The average time spent by employees commuting in Cairo each day is one hour and 37 minutes. Women face additional issues when commuting, including harassment and traditional restrictions.

The focus of STP has been to create transport services in Greater Cairo and satellite cities, and to reduce the growth of energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions by developing pollution-free integrated transport services through public-private partnerships. The project was started in 2009 and will be completed by 2015. So far, it has already created non-motorized transport corridors for pedestrians in the cities of Fayoum and Shebin el-Kom. Feeder bus services to Cairo Metro and high quality bus services to remote suburbs in Cairo have also been put into place. Most importantly, STP aims at introducing energy-efficient mass transportation that will shift emphasis away from the use of cars in Cairo.

Thanks to the massive connectivity created throughout Cairo by STP, some commuters can now easily travel to work and avoid wasting time in traffic jams. STP has introduced feeder bus services that help commuters reach over 40 Cairo Metro stations that carry over 3 million commuters each day. This has helped significantly to alleviate transportation problems in Cairo. STP has also created job opportunities for many employees, who are working on the project as drivers, assistants, or project employees. Overall, STP has been able to create mass transportation facilities in Cairo that have not only helped commuters but also improved employment rates in the city. Close.

Go-Jek and Jakarta traffic solutions

Jakarta, 14 October 2014 — Getting stuck in traffic for two to three hours, or even more, is very common for Jakartans. "Ojek," or motorcycle taxis, have become one of the favorite means to travel faster, even though safety and comfort are not a priority for ojek. Jakarta therefore introduced Go-Jek, a more professional ojek with additional benefits. See more.

Go-Jek and Jakarta traffic solutions

Widya Anggraini, Jakarta Community Manager

Every day, Jakarta residents wrestle with heavy traffic, from morning to night. This phenomenon does not only exist during working days, but also on the weekends. Going to and from work can become a painful routine for the majority of Jakarta's workers. Being stuck on the road for three to four hours is very common. One of the easy alternatives is ojek, a motorcycle taxi. The tukang ojek (ojek driver) profession itself exists because of the heavy city traffic and the cheap price of motorcycles that can be paid in installments. The number of ojeks in Jakarta reaches well into the thousands, spread over every city corner. Ojeks admittedly help residents to reduce transport time, but a number of issues also arise due to unstandardized tariffs and lack of safety. Now, a more professional version of the ojek is being introduced based on three main pillars: innovation, speed, and social impact (providing extra comfort and better safety whilst increasing the income of the ojek driver).

Jakarta traffic is getting worse each year. According to data from the Traffic Directorate of Metro Police, in 2013 the total number of vehicles in the capital was over 16 million units. With an increasing number of vehicles and no road expansions, heavy traffic is harder to overcome. This situation provides an important opportunity for ojek drivers.

Ojeks have become the preferred alternative for residents to get to work. However, they also are the object of various complaints, including that the drivers are careless and unsafe, the helmets are smelly, and the rates change frequently.

In this context, and in order to help unemployed ojek drivers, Nadiem Makarim and two others decided to start a multi-service professional ojek business, Go-Jek. Started in 2010, it offers not only fast transportation, but also other services such as document deliveries, laundry pickup, food delivery, and even visa pickups from the consulate.

Go-Jek not only provides safety and comfort to its passengers, it also provides integrity through fixed rates, and trust of their services. The ordering process is also quite easy; using the call center and mentioning the destination will give a fixed price, skipping the bargaining process.

Go-Jek invites existing ojek drivers to join them, so that they don't have to buy hundreds of motorcycles. The drivers are recruited and trained; if they violate any rules along the way, Go-Jek will dismiss them. Commission is also given as a bonus income, and Go-Jek ensures equal distribution of duties. This system works well because it eliminates unemployed and underemployed ojek drivers, and allows them to operate more efficiently. Close.

Walking between worlds: imagining infrastructure between Alexandra and Sandton, Johannesburg

Johannesburg, 13 October 2014 — The history of modern architecture and planning over the last century in South Africa is fraught with contradictions. Whereas modern city craft like concrete highways provided the apartheid state with a powerful vocabulary to keep communities apart, today it is transport infrastructure that is again invoked to connect the city together. Spatial thinking, imagination, and interdisciplinarity must be part of this process of imagining and building a different kind of city, for the segregated and unequal city cannot transform its future with the same tools used to create its past. See more.

Walking between worlds: imagining infrastructure between Alexandra and Sandton, Johannesburg

Tariq Toffa, Johannesburg Community Manager

The apartheid state embodied a special relationship with the modern project. Its concrete highways not only reflected appropriate modern imagery but simultaneously also provided it with a powerful, ready-made vocabulary to keep neighbourhoods and communities apart. But the history of modern architecture and planning over the last century in South Africa is one fraught with many contradictions; for today, again, it is transport infrastructure that is now invoked to connect the city together.

The City of Johannesburg recently embarked on a new spatial vision — dubbed the "Corridors of Freedom" — where transport and development corridors are envisaged as the spatial backbone to restructure the apartheid city, toward a more integrated and inclusive city form. Drawing on 'Transit-Oriented Development' concepts, higher density, compact, mixed-income and mixed-use development will be encouraged along key transport arteries and around intermodal transport hubs, serviced by a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Unlike the typically lengthy distances between poorer areas from wealthier areas and economic opportunities, which the 'Corridors' seeks to shrink for the two thirds of workers in the province that use public transport, north of Johannesburg a somewhat unique condition exists between Alexandra ("Alex") and Sandton. These iconic neighboring suburbs—the former one of Johannesburg's oldest black townships and severely affected by poverty, the latter the 'richest square mile in Africa' — are separated only by a thin strip of highway and industry. Nowhere else in South Africa is extreme poverty and extreme wealth in such close physical proximity, resulting in approximately 10,000 people walking and cycling daily from Alex in the east to Sandton in the west, to access employment, schools and other services. Known as the 'Great Walk', the City has identified this Alex-Sandton pedestrian highway for a number of transit infrastructure upgrades to improve access.

The challenge for the "Corridors of Freedom" in such contexts is not only its mandate to manufacture magnets for mixed and integrative forms of development along its route, but also to meaningfully address the radically unequal conditions that exist on the ground. Fortunately, through interdisciplinary debate, the crucial intersection between the north-south 'Corridor' and the east-west 'Great Walk' was conceived of as more than a utilitarian space for modal transfer as it was initially earmarked (the 'Watt Street interchange'), but as an opportunity to offer much needed mixed-use and public space for Alex residents, while penetrating into the divisive industrial buffer. If these principles are carried through into implementation, the Watt Street interchange and public space could successfully translate and pilot fundamental principles which the "Corridors of Freedom" hopes to achieve.

Today, transport infrastructure cannot continue to be conceived of and implemented as a hard, scientific discipline apart from its social affects. South Africa's modern history, especially, simply no longer allows it that kind of luxury. Rather, a reimagining of modern architecture for post-apartheid spaces is required, joining the high-level infrastructure needs of modern cities with the lived realities of its citizens on the ground, in hybridized spaces.

There is sufficient political will and creative mileage within the "Corridors of Freedom" concept to affect significant change in the urban form and social life of the city. However, new typologies that consider the public space and social-economic dimensions of multiple publics, but especially the poor, are also required. Spatial thinking, imagination and interdisciplinarity must be part of the process at multiple levels in order to imagine and build a different kind of city, for the segregated and unequal city cannot transform its future with the same tools used to create its past. Close.

Keke NAPEP: Redefining work, space, and commuting for the urban poor

Lagos, 10 October 2014 — Transportation is an important factor in determining how income is spent as well as the mobility of a city's residents. Introduced as a poverty alleviation tool, the commercial motorized tricycle Keke NAPEP not only provides affordable mobility within Lagos, but is also an opportunity for employment and a different kind of workspace. See more.

Keke NAPEP: Redefining work, space, and commuting for the urban poor

Olatawura Ladipo-Ajayi, Lagos Community Manager

The motorized tricycle, fondly called "Keke NAPEP" in Lagos, is a multifaceted tool in the daily lives of the city's inhabitants, providing easy navigation and employment. Navigating the city is a challenge due to poor road infrastructure, especially so in areas inhabited by the poor. Affordable rides on motorcycles called "okadas" used to be the preferred form of transportation for accessing these areas. However, due to the ban of okadas, more utility has been found with keke NAPEP: they are cheaper than commercial buses, and can reach areas with poor road networks and infrastructure that vehicles cannot navigate. This rise in the use of keke NAPEP has had tremendous effects on the poor. It provides increased and diversified employment, easier and more affordable navigation of the city, and increased income for its operators who can carry more than one passenger at once, as opposed to the single/double passenger okada transportation system.

In an attempt to alleviate poverty, the national government started the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) with the aim of equipping citizens with skills for employment and wealth creation as its focal point. One of the programs was focused on the motorized tricycle, hence its name "Keke NAPEP". The program has gone beyond the government providing the free and subsidized motorized tricycles to the poor, to becoming a major transportation business. Since the okada ban on major Lagos roads, more now turn to operating Keke NAPEP as their source of livelihood. The appeal of Keke NAPEP goes beyond the ban on motorcycles, as it is considered a safer alternative due to its enclosed nature compared to the open one of a motorcycle, more affordable for the rider, and it allows operators earn more in one journey than with an okada since they can carry multiple riders at once.

However, the advantages of the Keke NAPEP are mostly for riders, who find a cheap, quick, relatively safe and far reaching mode of transportation to their places of employment and daily activities. For operators, advantages include a source of employment and income, and a mobile workspace, which cuts overhead costs of business and transport to work costs. Despite these advantages, operators find it a tasking work space based on difficult and arbitrary regulations. Operators complain about the cost of obtaining Keke NAPEP (ranging between 250 000-350 000 NGN, USD $1,520 - $2,130), union dues, and bribery and corruption. Most operators now run their business on hire purchase (a rent-to-own plan), which makes the cost of starting more affordable in the near term but more expensive in the long run as final payments exceed original purchase cost. This cost, coupled with high union dues and bribery, is making this poverty eradication scheme ineffective: although income is generated, poor and insufficient regulation of the sector leads to loss of increased income to exploitation and exorbitant fees.

Keke NAPEP is essential in the city of Lagos. It has become a necessity not only as a source of employment, but a vital means of transportation. It might not be the most attractive form of transportation, but it is important for the city's poor. It behooves city regulators to ensure proper regulation of this transportation sector, starting with its unions and requirements for running the business. Close.

A bike revolution in São Paulo — a victory of urban activism

São Paulo, 9 October 2014 — A new program is filling up the streets of São Paulo with freshly painted red bike lanes. While controversial, the new bikeway policy has not only put cycling on the map, but positioned it as an alternative mode of transportation in a city dominated by cars. Despite the ensuing debate, the bikes are apparently here to stay. See more.

A bike revolution in São Paulo — a victory of urban activism

Eliana Barbosa, São Paulo Community Manager

São Paulo is experiencing an urban cycling revolution. An unexpectedly broad cycling policy — which was a campaign promise of the new mayor — is materializing daily in the city. The aim is to quickly build a 400 km cycling network by the end of 2015, in an movement that has been called "ciclomania".

In a city as big as São Paulo, mobility is a crucial theme in urban policy. Despite being a carbon-free mode of transportation, cycling was not, up until very recently, seriously considered as a mode of transport by the public sector. The main cycling routes available were for weekend leisure, in a project launched in 2009 by which the municipality would offer leisure routes on Sundays, from 7am to 4pm, so the city's inhabitants could enjoy temporary cycling infrastructure. Despite raising residents' awareness about cycling and increasing the number of cyclists, the initiative did not aim to contribute to the complicated mobility system in the city — quite the opposite. The message was that cycling is a "Sunday" activity, not an everyday practice.

Despite the lack of policies, or maybe because of the lack of political will, mobility and cycling activism grew tremendously in the last five years, as NGOs such as Vá de Bike, Ciclocidade, Bike Legal, and Bike Anjo were launched. From groups of cyclists organizing themselves to get to work to NGOs working to help people learn how to cycle on the challenging streets of the city, many new discussions and projects emerged, demanding a closer look at the bicycle as a serious mode of transportation.

The activism has proved successful. The new policy is creating a cycling infrastructure never seen in São Paulo. However, the process also involves conflict, as there was little time for consultation and participation before planning became action. In a guerrilla style of urbanism, the municipality started painting red lines on the streets even before the plan was announced. The reactions were quite polarized. On the one hand, cyclists embraced it almost in disbelief and created a collaborative map of the new infrastructure. On the other hand, car owners and shopkeepers were furious, since not only was there no consultation, but the cycling infrastructure was placed all over the expanded city center, passing through important — and wealthy — commercial areas and replacing parking spaces. The most controversial act came from the Commercial Association of Santa Cecília, which filed an official complaint against the municipality after the construction of a cycling lane in the neighborhood. For those who are against it, the main argument is that "São Paulo is not Amsterdam."

Despite the polemic, the creation of cycling infrastructure is necessary, contributing not only to the safety of the current cyclists who bike as their main mode of transportation, but also providing alternative mobility infrastructure for other inhabitants in their daily transportation. The plan and the quickly implemented bike lanes were a first step, a way to test the solution. However, improvements need to be made: the next step could be to create ways to incorporate participation, revise the lanes built in problematic locations, and improve the infrastructure itself. Nevertheless the progress is clear. A gallon of red ink has never impacted so many lives as the ones used create bike lanes in São Paulo. Close.

Master planning Nairobi's way out of the jam

Nairobi, 8 October 2014 — It is estimated that Kenya loses roughly 37 billion KSH annually in gross domestic product (GDP) as a result of Nairobi traffic jams. This valuation neglects to account for the environmental or carbon pollution and human public health costs associated with heavy traffic flows, congestion, and associated injuries from road accidents. A number of public-private partnerships, non-governmental organizations and tech-savvy entrepreneurs have been developing innovative solutions to address these challenges. See more.

Master planning Nairobi's way out of the jam

Hilary Nicole Zainab Ervin, Nairobi Community Manager

Traffic congestion and transportation bottlenecks in, around, and through Nairobi city are well known to residents, lambasted in the press, and highlighted by politicians. Over the past few years a significant amount of investment in research and infrastructure development has worked to increase the efficiency and fluidity of commuting for Nairobi workers. However, much still needs to be done if the priorities laid out in Kenya's Vision 2030 are to be realized.

Originally founded as a halfway transit point on the Mombasa-Kisumu railway line; Nairobi has rapidly grown into a national and regional hub for business and trade while also serving as a major access point for goods bound to the wider East African Community. Greater Nairobi has a population growth rate of 4 percent and is home to 8 percent of Kenya's 38.6 million residents. Poorly planned infrastructure, lack of accounting for actual population growth, and inadequate public expenditure on transportation continues to have direct impacts on millions of residents daily in their jockeying to get to town.

Kenyans are nothing if not innovative and industrious, a characteristic clearly demonstrated for example by the demand-driven nature of current matatu networks. However, a significant challenge to updating current transportation infrastructure has remained the lack of reliable data and information on these informal networks. User-driven applications and mapping efforts have resulted in a number of options available to Nairobi residents seeking information on these transit routes and transfer points. These action-oriented research projects have been used by policy planners and incorporated into policy planning. These are decidedly positive trends. The Digital Matatus project, Ma3route, and Sonar, highlighted in an early URB.im article, are still active and serving the needs of commuters. On the other hand, cashless payment systems such as Bebapay, which were set to launch in July 2014, have met with less success, but are still undergoing adaptation and available for use on a number of bus lines.

The Sustainable Transportation Solutions for East African Cities initiative, or Sustran East Africa, a project launched in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-HABITAT, and Nairobi's municipal government in conjunction with a number of private sector partners, will assist the Ministry of Transportation and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority to address congestion issues in the capital in line with Integrated Urban Development Masterplan for the City of Nairobi (NIUPLAN) unveiled in May 2014, the first update to the capital's planning documentation since the 1970s. This comprehensive and strategic report is broken down into six thematic areas covering: (i) Land use and housing; (ii) Governance and institution; (iii) Population and social system/urban economy; (iv) Urban transport (road, railway, airport); (v) Environment; (vi) Infrastructure (water supply, wastewater, power, solid waste and disaster prevention, ICT & telecommunications). The 60-day period of public comment on the NIUPLAN recently closed and based on the tone of political willpower it is hopeful that Governor Evans Kidero and the Nairobi City County Government will follow through on stated commitments.

Plans to implement three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors are still underway for Athi River to Kikuyu town, Thika to Nairobi Central Business District. and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Nairobi Central Business District. These BRT networks are intended to decrease the cost and time associated with commuting for residents who use public transport, which is roughly 30 percent of city residents. In addition, updates to Thika and Outer Ring Road, the Tatu City Development, and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services Improvement Project (NaMSIP) are ongoing planning projects that intend to address many of the current challenges faced by the city's 3.2 million inhabitants while they attempt to walk, ride, and drive to and from work each day. Close.

What can Delhi's public transport goods achieve for the poor?

Delhi, 7 October 2014 — The rapidly rising population and the concomitant growing demand for transport, including transport to work, have left millions of people in Delhi Region with poor access to basic social and economic services. This article discusses the case of E-Rickshaw and the Rickshaw Bank, describing the two departures that Delhi needs to make to reconsider the traditional questions about mobility and access. See more.

What can Delhi's public transport goods achieve for the poor?

Priyanka Jain, Delhi Community Manager

The rapidly rising population and the concomitant growing demand for transport have left millions of people in Delhi Region with poor access to basic social and economic services. A large number of people across the city exist in misery, depending upon informal or non-motorized modes of transport to get to work that are inefficient, overcrowded, unsafe, and often considered to be symbols of poverty. Delhi has undergone much change over the last few years, and more changes are in the course of being implemented. Broader investigations are needed right now and they can inter alia alter even the way more traditional queries, around mobility and access, are answered. There are two elementary points of departure.

First, there must be an attempt to link the public transport goods to something more fundamental. We need to understand the reason to seek accessibility. The primary question: What can it achieve for the poor? And how can the success and failure of the instruments adopted for public transport and infrastructure development be judged? This question is best answered by examining the case study of E-Rickshaw.

Hundred of thousands of electric three-wheelers — popularly called E-Rickshaws — offer tailor-made services in response to growing transit needs and urban changes, hence providing inherent flexibility to changing markets in sharp contrast to the rigidities of protected monopolies. They provide an affordable option to the poor whose livelihood depends upon reaching desired destinations early to procure jobs, markets, or customers. They compliment metro and bus systems as feeder services by enabling riders to reach crowded inner-city areas where formal motorized transport does not or cannot reach. They are non-polluting and are designed to travel at a safe speed.

Yet the future of E-Rickshaws remains uncertain with the recent ban on their operation. The reason is their classification as "motorized vehicles" instead of non-motorized — a classification that subjected them to the motor vehicles department's existing requirements. Although the ministry for road transport have publicly reversed the decision in June and reworked the relevant provisions related to engine power so that the E-Rickshaws can be treated as non-motorized, the ban is yet to be lifted. This extremely slow process shows a lack of explicit recognition of the basic end — social transformation and poverty alleviation — that the informal modes of transport offer.

The second point of departure takes us to the investigation of the means through which the above-stated ends can be achieved. While the debate on the current public transport strategies, investments, and instruments concentrates on motorized transport and infrastructure development, there are many other means, especially dealing with the 'social' side of accessibility, such as non-motorized transport and head-loading, that typically tend not to figure in these debates. One particular departure is the case study of Rickshaw Bank. An initiative of Centre for Rural Development, the Rickshaw Bank provides a newly designed rickshaw, with insurance and license at an affordable cost, facilitating rickshaw pullers' solidarity for rights and livelihoods. Since their launch in 2004, there has been a significant change in the earning of the Rickshaw Bank members in comparison to that of their previous occupation. The enhanced earning has increased their family budget in different areas like food, clothing etc.

Based on the above two points of departure, reasoning can be developed to consolidate and reinforce the diverse government actions that are required for crucial transport development. Given the extremely heterogeneous character of Delhi's public transport modes, the success and failure of transport strategies cannot be understood in composite terms, and it is essential to examine the experiences in various modes. It calls emphatically for an active public transport policy that takes into account the totality of practices of economic development. Close.

Tax breaks to improve commutes in Lilongwe

Lilongwe, 6 October 2014 — Commuters in Malawi could soon enjoy a more pleasant and reliable ride to work, as the country's new government has bowed to industry lobbying and pledged to provide tax breaks for the import of new minibuses. The move is set to make minibuses more competitive against larger buses, as well as help improve the industry's poor safety record. See more.

Tax breaks to improve commutes in Lilongwe

Nora Lindstrom, Lilongwe Community Manager

Without a public transportation system, much of Lilongwe's working population relies on minibuses to get to the office. Expensive, overcrowded, and badly maintained, they are not a pleasant or reliable mode of transportation. They are also a nuisance to other road users as drivers stop at will and informal depots take over road space at already busy junctions. Indeed, minibuses are a key contributor to the appalling road safety record not just of Malawi, but also many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

A long-term development plan to overhaul the transportation system in Lilongwe was developed in 2010. It calls for large public buses for trunk routes, but maintains licensed minibuses for feeder routes. The aim is eventually to formalise the entire system. The erection of several new bus stops along key routes in the city is a sign of things to come. Still, substantial change is likely to take time, meaning informal minibuses will remain the main mode of transportation in the city for the near future.

That's why the new government's pledge — in its proposed 2014/15 budget — to provide tax breaks for the import of minibuses that are less than five years old is a very welcome move. The move follows a petition by the Minibus Owners Association of Malawi (MOAM); as the Association's Secretary General Coxley Kamange argued in the Nyasa Times in June this year, "We feel if the exercise [sic] duty is removed, it will help us replace old minibuses and that in the end will ensure safety of passengers who are our customers."

As Finance and Economic Minister Goodall Gondwe, in presenting the national budget in early September, noted that "[d]uring the budget consultations this year, there was... a persistent cry from the minibus operators on the need for levelling the play field [sic] with the operators of the large buses who currently import buses of zero to five years old duty free, [...] the government agrees to remove the import duty, import excise, and VAT on minibuses that are zero to five years."

So, two things: removal of import taxes for new minibuses, and reduction in fuel prices. Both government pledges represent a lobbying win for minibus operators, which can reasonably be expected to trickle down to consumers who should in the not-too-distant future be able to enjoy safer and more reliable services. And while more comprehensive efforts will be needed to change the often obnoxious road behaviour of minibus drivers, at least with newer minibuses there might be slightly less toxic black smoke spewed out in the face of other road users. Close.

Ho Chi Minh City, 3 October 2014 — Smart moto-taxis started to appear in Ho Chi Minh City in 2012. They attract low- and middle-income customers for three main reasons: reliability, flexibility, and professionalism. They also create jobs for a number of less advantaged groups. However, the immediate benefits of this transportation innovation may hide a longer-term consequence. See more.

Tam Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City Community Manager

Since 2012, Ho Chi Minh City residents have started to see smart moto-taxis around the central areas of the cities. These are the typical common Honda scooters, but have taximeters and GPS devices installed above the front lights. These smart moto-taxis (or moto-cabs) have taken over for the normal ones and started to attract middle-income customers because of three added values: reliability, flexibility, and professionalism.

Firstly, with the taximeters displaying the exact distance and cost, customers do not have to bargain each time they hire a moto-taxi as before, and therefore do not fear being forced to pay an unreasonably high price. Secondly, while offering the reliability of four-wheel taxis, this innovation retains the flexibility of two-wheel moto-taxis, being able to take narrow lanes, small and crooked shortcuts, avoiding the over-crowded streets of Ho Chi Minh City, and helping the customer arrive on time, even during rush hours. Thirdly, the smiling drivers wearing uniforms and being monitored by their companies through GPS devices installed in the taximeters have convinced the customers that their services are qualified, safe, and friendly.

Solving mobility and employment problems?

The three added values of smart moto-taxis help solve the mobility problem of many different customer groups in Ho Chi Minh City, including students whose parents usually work late, housewives, the lone elderly, regular patients of certain hospitals, and non-local or foreign tourists. Unable to drive personal vehicles or to take public buses but also unable to afford a taxi, these groups have become the regular customers of smart moto-taxis, said Mr. Đoàn Hữu Phát, director of Thien Khach smart moto-taxi company.

This initiative has also created better job opportunities for at least two groups: university students and less skilled female workers. Before the start of smart moto-taxi companies, there was the already-occupied market of normal moto-taxi drivers, the majority of whom are less skilled male workers. Being monitored and provided with specific customers and parking places by the hiring companies, these two groups can now join the market. University students mostly drive as a part-time job to support their education, and female drivers are especially favored by housewives, students, and foreigners because of their reliability and friendliness.

A bigger jam?

After two years, there are currently three big moto-taxis providers in Ho Chi Minh City and many more smaller-scale ones. The total number of smart moto-taxis has reached around 100 vehicles in the central area of the city, and is predicted to increase significantly in the future as customers get used to the service. While being a good urban solution, a spontaneous growth of this service could easily affect public transportation, significantly increasing the number of private vehicles, and thus making the traffic jams of Ho Chi Minh City worse.

Moreover, the profession of smart moto-taxi drivers, trained and monitored by the hiring company, is still not a recognized and certified occupation by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation (DoT). This excludes these drivers from the protection of laws and the labor unions. It depends on the cooperation between the DoT and moto-taxi companies whether this creative solution grows into a problem or an opportunity. Close.

Building a metro system in Bogotá

Bogotá, 2 October 2014 — Construction of the first line of the Bogotá metro system is expected to start in 2016, following 50 years of delays. Once in operation, the metro will help to solve the transportation problems that currently cripple the city, and are expected to worsen. BRT and conventional bus systems will also have to be improved and expanded. See more.

Building a metro system in Bogotá

Jorge Bela, Bogotá Community Manager

Transportation is one of the most serious challenges that Bogotá is currently facing. With about 8 million inhabitants, it is one of only six cities of more than four million inhabitants without a subway system. The BRT system and the citywide conventional bus systems, which were built to replace the aging private busetas that clog the streets and generate much of the city's pollution problems, have been marred by delays and corruption. At the same time, the number of cars has increased by 35 percent in only the last three years, and the number of motorcycles has doubled in the same period. The city is on the verge of collapse as getting to and from work has become a daunting task.

Fifty years after it was proposed for the first time, the final technical studies for the metro system are almost ready. They are expected to be in the city's hands by November. Financial resources have also been allocated, with the central government agreeing to pay 70 percent while the rest will be covered by the city, mostly from a gas tax. Building the metro is by far the largest and most complex infrastructure project under consideration in Bogotá. Although the estimated budget is about 3 billion US$, some estimates say that final cost may be closer to US$5 billion.

To undertake such a project, a strong institutional structure must be put in place. This is particularly true in Colombia, where strict term limits restrict major mandates to one four-year term, and projects often get entangled in political fights. This institutional structure should be headed by a powerful manager, preferably appointed by the nation's President. This model was proved successful in the Quito subway project. It is also critical that a managerial firm, with plenty of international experience in similar project structuring, be hired to accompany the process, as Bogotá lacks this experience. Finally, a business model will have to be defined. The most usual model in Latin America is that the city builds the infrastructure, but the system's operation is run by a private contractor (Lima has been the exception, as the construction and the operation were both done by private contractors).

The World Bank is helping Bogotá in the process of launching the metro project. Once the technical reports are finalized, and the project's structuring is complete, public bidding for actual construction can start. It is highly unlikely that the bidding will take place before the end of 2015. The construction can take from 3 to 5 years, if no unexpected complications arise. The characteristics of the soil in Bogota makes it impossible to use underground bores, so construction has to be done using "cut and cover" techniques, which will be highly disruptive to the already congested streets of central Bogotá. Close.

Biking in Bangalore

Bangalore, 1 October 2014 — Commuting is one of the biggest headaches for India's urbanites. For the poor, who are forced to rely on under-resourced public transport networks, the obstacles are greater. In Bangalore, cycling is increasingly being tested as an answer to reducing major traffic and pollution issues and providing public transport commuters with last-mile connectivity. The few projects on the ground in Bangalore, however, have either failed or failed to take off fully. We'll explore what needs to be done to make green commuting an option in Bangalore and India's other major metropolises. See more.

With an estimated 200,000 bicycles already on Bangalore's roads, the city inaugurated one of the country’s first urban cycle track along 22 roads in Jayanagar. The project, which was supported by the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT), had great potential, but a Times of India article reported last year that just 17 months into the bike lane initiative, the tracks were taken over by parked vehicles. A member of the organization Ride a Cycle Foundation says in the article that the issue, like many in urban India, stems from lack of coordination among multiple agencies: "Right now, DULT does the planning, BBMP implements the work and traffic cops enforce the project on the ground. When there is little coordination between these agencies and in the absence of leadership to oversee them, projects like cycle tracks end up in limbo."

The failure of the bike lane initiative hasn't sidetracked the focus of three local entrepreneurs who have launched a pilot bike sharing program in the city. The group, Kerberon Automations, created the Automated Tracking and Control of Green Assets (ATCAG) bike share to offer an eco-friendly transit option to Bangalore's commuters. The project was undertaken with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) and charges Rs. 300 ($5.00) per year for use of the bikes. However, to get the required smart card, which commuters use at the automated docking stations, proof of identity and residency is required — sometimes an obstacle for low-income city dwellers who often lack documentation.

"A public transport infrastructure such as this, if exploited fully, has the power to reduce automobile pollution, provide a budget transport option to commuters harassed by demanding auto drivers, and boost commuter fitness," says an article in the Bangalore Mirror.

Green commuting alternatives are cropping up around the city, but there are many barriers to their success. Mumbai's bike-sharing pilot, Cycle Chalao, failed due to lack of government support. Cycle Chalao's site says a final goodbye after trying to take its idea to Pune as well: "We tried to build bicycle sharing systems in India since 2010 but have not succeeded so far and are deciding to wind up our efforts and move ahead." While the ATCAG project has Bangalore's municipal commission behind it, another issue is cost effectiveness. "If cost (bike, operations, and maintenance) outweigh revenue, how is it sustainable?" asks the Bangalore Mirror. Chennai believes it is possible and is plowing forward with an ambitious plan. The race to become a model for green commuting initiatives is on around India. Only time will tell which city has both the political will and the citizen drive to make it work for all. Bangalore, it seems, has a good shot at crossing the finish line first. Close.

Join the discussion for this month's topic!

Comments

I agree that this is both a gift and curse at once. I've been living in Hanoi for a short period of time, and see the benefits that this service would bring, but also see how it isn't solving the real issues of needing better public transit and walkable infrastructure. While it isn't easy in lower-middle income countries, the state should play a bigger role in these types of transit (in my opinion).

As for the overall mobility problem, moto-taxis should indeed be a temporary solution only. HCMC citizens are looking forward for a broader-scope and longer-term metro lines, which are expected to cover the whole central area and connect the central with satellite cities. This, and not the moto-taxis, should be the focus of the government in the long run.

With the public transportation improved, in my opinion, moto-taxis should be limited to its special purposes - tourism & medicals. These vehicles are currently the great choice for non-local & foreign tourists to have a direct experience of the city. In addition, they also offer a great help to regular patients who have to pay frequent visits to hospital but are too weak for buses or metro lines.

I agree. I may be off point, and am basing what I know on speaking with colleagues here, but I agree that both cities need massive investments in public transit and related infrastructure in order to make the switch. I can only speak for Hanoi, but I feel there is also the potential for some very novel solutions. The motobike "issue" isn't just that, it is a vital part of the cities' culture, and I feel couldn't be easily replaced and as such maybe a different solution is needed? I don't know what that solution is, but maybe after living here for a few years it will all make more sense! Thanks for the article, look forward to more,

Hi Corey, as I mention in my article, Bogotá has been waiting for the first metro train to arrive for more than 50 years! Now the plans are underway, but still the hurdles are huge. The initial coost estimates, made after a costly study, were about 5 billion US$. Yesterday, the City presented the final geological studies, and cost has suddenly escalated by 50%, o almost 8 billion US$. Itr is quite likely that the costs will escalate even further before the project is concluded.The big question is if this level of investment is what the city needs. The answer is not so obvious. The problem is that if not enough resources are reserved for all other modes of transportation, and a way to integrate them, Bogotá will have a wonderful metro line, but the City's transportation problems will not have been solved, perhaps they would have been made even worse.

The World Bank has just said so in a statement regarding the metro in Bogotá. The WB has been accompanying the city through the process so far, so they are very familiar with it. They warn that it is necessary to consider all transportation forms and to make sure that the huge financial costs of building the metro will not siphon away resources needed to expand and upkeep the BRT and the integrated feeder lines, which are still half baked.

Thanks for your piece on the smart moto-taxis. Having spent 6 years haggling with Phnom Penh's (and occasionally HCMC's) moto-dops I see the semi-formalisation of the moto-taxi trade as a great step forward (particularly the inclusion of female drivers). While I agree with you that there is a need for more investments in public transportation, I wonder why you think the moto-taxis should be limited to tourism and medicals only? Ideally, public transportation would eventually out-compete moto-taxis for regular journeys, and moto-taxis would be available for 'other' trips - whatever they may be.

Nice piece Priyanka. I wonder if the Rickshaws drivers mentioned have a syndicate or some sort of association that can help them overcome the government regularities.. We have same transport means in Cairo, however also they are not welcomed in all Cairo districts given the housing standard in each place..

Thanks for your comment on the article on e-rickshaw. Arvind Kejriwal, party convener of local political party called Aam Admi Party (AAP), is strongly supporting the E-Rickshaw drivers and have been fighting for their rights. The main issue is also that many drivers took loans to buy e-rickshaw in aspiration for a better future. But the model soon fell under controversies and most of them drive rickshaw at night in fear of the ban. They are repeatedly beaten by police personnel as its illegal under the current circumstances. The transport minister had made many promises but policy didn't change much to lift the ban.
The good news is that on October 2 the ban was lifted by high court and the e-rickshaws can officially ply on Delhi city roads. We now wait to see if enough changes will be made under the vehicle act for E-rickshaws to be cheap enough for the poor man.

Hi Priyanka, thanks for the recent updates on e-Ricks in Delhi. I've been hearing about these since the Commonwealth Games, but it seems for a variety of reasons, they haven't taken off. Besides the recent roadblock with classification as motorized transport, do you have any other sense of why they've been so slow to expand in the city? Have any of them actually been in use over the last few years? I also wonder what would be the incentive to drivers to switch to an e-rick.The initial costs would be higher, though they would save on fuel in the long-run. Look forward to any other specifics on their potential in the city. Thanks, Carlin

Thanks for your comment. Let me reply to the concern regarding the cost of E-Rickshaws. The price of the Rickshaw is only Rs 80000. Thats low enough for many people to take a loan and switch to driving E-Rickshaw. The concern is that the classification increases the cost of registration drastically, more than 5 times the cost of the rickshaw itself. They were used at the times of Common Wealth Games but now used only on the outskirts of delhi or at night because of the ban and controversies around it. There is also the requirement of E-rickshaw drivers to have completed education till Class X. That leaves out a lot of uneducated people from availing the opportunity. Thanks, Priyanka

Hi Priyanka,
I have to agree, policies for transportation really need to consider its overall effects, particularly on the economy and those the different modes of transportation target. Lagos traffic is terrible and the fastest and cheapest mode of transportation way the commercial motorcycles, like Delhi, transport policies recently banned most of these from major roadways for safety reasons,however its benefit can be argued outweighed its detriments. This ban cost arguable the urban poor operating these machines their jobs, and middles class citizens a cheap and fast way to making livelihood, and created increased hours in traffic which at the end of the day affects productivity.

Transport policy in Lagos in the city's defense is attempting to upgrade the transport system to the 21st century through BRT systems, trains, cable cars etc. The issue with this however is the complex systems of the city's transport network, its varied class groups and economic status of residents are not being fully evaluated in the decisions being made. This affects not only the poor but also general economic productivity as most workers tend to spend half of their day on the road.

I would disagree that the primary question in forging transport policy should be what can it achieve for the poor but more looking at transport policy from the perspectives of what problem these policies solve, which do they create and how best to make it work for the majority of city residents both poor and rich.

Hi Wura, great point re the need to develop transport policy for both the rich and the poor. While the poor man and woman's means of transportation often gets criticised for being unsafe and causing traffic jams and consequently banned as many of the above articles attest to, it's often the increase in cars owned by wealthier city residents that are the actual cause of gridlocks. So transportation policies need to look both at how to get the less off from where they are to where they need to be, but also on how to develop public transportation that is inclusive of both the rich and the poor - say like the New York metro.

Thanks for the comment. I agree that transport policy need to focus on all citizens. Here I am particularly talking about the public transportation goods. The reason to emphasise the need to look at what it can achieve for the poor is mainly because many decisions, for example bus versus metro or wider vehicular access than proper pedestrian and bicycle right of way, are often taken without considering the fact that in Delhi the transport goods are largely used by low income population. They form an important factor in their access to economic opportunities as well. For them, the public transportation goods is not a matter of lifestyle but a necessity. By focussing on their needs, the city automatically increases the quality of life of other residents as well. Nevertheless, I agree that on a holistic level, the policies need to address the needs of all citizens both poor and rich. Thanks, Priyanka

Hi Hilary,
Interesting article, for cities like Lagos and Nairobi, the ability to map transport routes and traffic routes real time is invaluable. Much progress has not been made in this aspect in my city so I was wondering if there was a lot of corporation between the government and the efforts to map transport systems with the programs mentioned like the Digital Matatus project, Ma3route, and Sonar, or was it easier to get them going as the transportation was private? It would be interesting to see how these programs got integrated into policy planning if they were fully created privately without government support.

The Digitial Matatus project was carried out by a team of researchers from the University of Nairobi, Columbia, MIT and Groupshot.

Linnet Kwamboka @g33kmate had conducted a lot of this foundational work as well during the time. She developed some maps which I believe informed the Digitial Matatus project. Her work centers on open data and transparent governance. Through her work she had a strong relationships with government officers.

As to Ma3route they are based out of the Bishop Magua center where iLab, Nailab and Ushahidi are seated. They are a mobile app driven tech start up. Sonar is also a mobile app that draws on the Digitial Matatus project. Inclusion in the policy process is something that certain ministries are more engaged with than others. The Nairobi city government has been more outwardly open to citizen participation however who is actual in the room is a different story. However the government can be seen in media and social network sites encouraging comment.

As to larger infrastructure based planning such as road locations etc., this is more driven by private-public partnerships and Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding. For example the Thika superhighway project contracted to a Chinese company was done through ODA assistance from the Chinese Government.

I was a bit concerned about the idea of building hundreds of kilometers of bike lanes on the short term. The experience in Bogotá shows that it is best to plan carefully and not to cut on necessary costs. In Bogotá much of the bike lanes were built on the sidewalks, thus bikers are forced to share the space with pedestrians, informal sellers and cars turning into the streets that often are looking for cars at the opposite side where bikes are coming. This is a highly risky and inefficient approach. In some streets, as is the caso on 11thy St., the bike lanes are on the right side of traffic, where bus and taxi riders board and unboard their vehicles. The result is chaos, mutual anger and ultimately risk for pedestrians and bikers alike. Lack of proper maintenance is making an already bas situation even worse.

I am wondering if the plan for Sao Paulo avoids these pitfalls, and if dedicated, safe bike lanes are the proposed solution. Building hundreds of kilometers of unsafe and unsustainable lines can be politically advantageous on the short term, but will do little to improve the transportation problems of Sao Paulo on the long term.

Thank you for your comment, Jorge.
I agree with you that softer modes (pedestrians and bikes) should be thought together.
For now, São Paulo is giving its first steps in terms of cycling integration, but I believe is an important step, since it could provide the critical mass the cycling activists base their activities on. Without increasing the number of bikes, the improvements in cycling infrastructure will be considered necessary. This first infrastructure, despite not ideal, offers a possibility. I strongly believe that our cities have to do what they can, with the resources they have to improve. In Brazil, the municipality is not even the legal responsible for the sidewalk (design and maintenance), therefore the painted cycling routes are a small advance, because they mark the place for cycling in the city, inexistent until now.

Hi, Wura. I wonder if you can provide some more info on the planned cable cars for Nairobi. They were used very successfully in Medellin, but they have been much less so in Rio de Janeiro. Once again, proper planning and sufficient investment on upkeep are essential. Thanks for your comment!

Hi Jorge,
I'm not sure about Nairobi Hilary could possible have details, but for Lagos, the idea is to connect satellite cities to metropolitan Lagos. It is expected to limit congestion of the city, traffic and encourage living outside Lagos, to make urban planning easier. You are right though it will require a lot of maintenance, and proper planning. Currently a lot of people leave outside the immediate city hub of mainland and island Lagos encroaching on neighbouring states and the cable cars might prove as effective as it did in Medellin with adequate planning.

My personal fear is that the cost might prove to high for thoes who need it. This is speculation of course, but such technological projects and most urban city projects now tend to be PPPs which means the private partners will be looking for a little bit of profit which makes the social good initially overpriced, the city experienced the same with the road toll. Was there any such problems in Medellin?

Hi Carlin, in Mexico City has been implemented the same bike system in array that people have more transportation options, however this transport is just available in areas where there is greater sharing of economic activities. In this sense, one of the major challenges is the mobility of people living in marginalized and remote areas of the City, as they first have to use other means of transportation to get to these areas and such means offer poor quality of transportation due that is highly demanded by passengers..

In São Paulo is the same. So far the bike lanes are still concentrated in what we cal expanded center, but bikes are more present as the main mode of transportation in the peripheries. There is an effort to concentrate the new lines around transportation hubs and we have a bike share system integrated with public transport, although it is very expensive (not affordable for the poorest). Still I believe is an important start.

Hi Tam,
I think we covered similar topics this month. I’ve been to Vietnam twice and visited HCMC and Hanoi and experienced moto taxi culture. It is quite an experience because the city is full of motorcycles and drove pretty scary and I am wondering if this moto taxi company is providing their drivers with new motorcycle or recruiting current drivers and renews their motors? Because giving new motor will increase possibility of traffic. I agree with Pembletons that to change this kind of culture will be difficult, and Indonesia also found it hard because every year, there is high increase of motorcycle ownership in the city due to cheap price of Indian and china-made motor plus low awareness of city government in providing good and affordable public transportation.

Wura , you have strong argument and I am totally agree with you. City of Jakarta and Surabaya inhabits largely by middle-income people, and public transportation that is affordable and serve many routes for the poor are mainly city bus (Kopaja) with poor condition. While only people live in the city afford to use MRT (TransJakarta). Although the price is sometimes affordable for people live in poorer are, most of the time, few line of MRT reach their place, therefore, only few of poor people can actually enjoy good public transportation.

Are there any network maps currently available to commuters? It would be interesting as you say to see how the skywalks can be better incorporated into other modes of public transit to increase use overall. However, safety issues are still considerable. Utilizing gender-inclusive planning is one step to addressing these issues and female security officers are an important aspect.

I would be really interested to see in other cities how skywalk networks have been successfully incorporated into overall mass transit networks. Do you know of any good examples?

I am responding jointly as your articles both covered very interesting topics which I've seen challenge low income commuters and small business owners/entrepreneurs across Kenya who operate Boda boda [motorcycle taxis] &/or Piki piki [Keke].

In specific the frustrating and compounding effect of requiring at times expensive registrations and training while also daily facing extorted fees. Though a rather simple public transit good with respect to E-Rickshaws, by dragging their feet the Delhi authorities actually increase the burdens on operators and commuters. I say this because demand will require that they still be on the road, as you have noted they continue to operate at the fringes of town and in the evenings. As a result operators will undoubtedly face fees from police and traffic officials while indirectly increasing the cost of commuting for many of the cities poor. At the same time an opportunity for income generation is missed that could support a highly concentrated issue of urban poverty. Hopefully, a more equitable solution can be reached that accounts for the needs of low-income commuters, operators and local officials.

I agree with you Oltwara that any policy must be conceptualized and driven by a holistic understanding of its affects on all levels of society. This goes back to the point you raised regarding how these informal fees and extortion make it extremely difficult for individuals who took loans to begin small scale transportation businesses can be stifled and as a result the underlying poverty meant to be addressed continues to persist.

The challenge is how do you address the fact that there is a lack of accountability at the street level will individuals are faced with officers? For matatu drivers in Nairobi I know that paying bribes is simply part of the business. You get pulled over, boarded, and pay then move on. If you don't then all of your passengers disembark [often demanding their money back] and your towed or stand around until a price the authorities believe to be reasonable has been agreed upon.

This I think also highlights an opportunity. Reporting platforms such as I Paid A Bribe launched in Bangladesh allow for simple SMS reporting which would at least provide a time stamp and way to quantify the cost of these external pressures while also allowing the development of a better understanding of how from the supplier [transport operators] perspective, opportunities exist that can support poverty alleviation.

Id be interested in finding out if any city has a user-driven movement of this nature that attempts to hold public officials accountable while also providing commuters with valuable information on routes and fees.